Holiday Games
by VictoriaGrant
Summary: I m trying something different this time, so let me know what you think about it :D
1. Chapter 1

Josef looked up when the terrace doors were opened and for a moment could do nothing but stare open mouthed at the the vision displayed in front of him.

Her Majesty Queen Clarisse Renaldi had just stepped out onto the terrace, clad in nothing but a blue bikini with her eyes hidden behind large sunglasses, her hair gleaming in the bright morning sunlight.

Josef quickly averted his gaze and stood up straighter as the queen settled herself in one of the chairs and reached for the cocktail glass her maid had placed there seconds before, Josef knew it would contain something light and fruity mixed with champagne, being on holiday Her Majesty obviously had no objections against alcohol at ten am.

They had arrived at the Chateau in South France two days ago and so far Josef couldn´t confirm the rumors he had heard back at the palace- the most persistent being that it was due to the queen´s habit to start a fling with one of her staff members at every vacation that the security team so frequently had to employ new men.

Josef smiled at the thought, he didn´t know the queen well of course but he couldn´t imagine her being anything but cool and distant, arrogant even, even though it was hard to believe at first, she looked so sweet with her angelic face and large blue eyes and golden hair.

Most likely all those talk was started by some unfortunate guy who had tried to come on to the queen while being alone with her and had been fired afterwards.

Josef had been surprised when he had been told that he would be going to France this year, he had joined the palace security only recently and couldn´t imagine why none of the others would make it their concern to be with the queen.

"Josef!"

Clarisse Renaldi´s melodic voice rang out to him and Josef made his way over to the terrace, grateful for his dark sunglasses that would prevent her from noticing the way he was looking at her barely clad body.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

She readjusted her sunglasses so that he was now looking into her intense blue eyes and gave him a dazzling smile that made Josef feel even hotter in his black trousers and shirt.

"Oh, it´s nothing special, I just thought we could talk a little- there is nothing pressing you have to do, is there?"

"No, Your Majesty."

Josef replied, a little more guarded now, other than most people who first were confronted with the queen he wasn´t fooled by her friendliness, he might not believe everything that was being said about her but he was certain that she was anything but the sweet innocent girl she seemed to be.

Clarisse Renaldi had recently turned twenty seven, had been married for ten years and as far as Josef was informed she was neither a loving wife nor a devoted mother, the royal couple was leading a functional yet loveless marriage and the nine and seven year old princes were already attending a boarding school in England.

The only thing Clarisse Renaldi liked to devote her time and interest to was being the best queen for Genovia she could be and she was succeeding, the people loved her and her husband was grateful for the support he got from her and otherwise was as uninterested in his wife as she was in him.

"Do you want a drink?"

She asked now, motioning for Josef to sit down on a chair next to her´s but Josef shook his head.

"I´m not on holiday, Your Majesty, I´m on duty."

"Of course you are- how silly of me- anything else then, a coffee perhaps- Giselle?"

The maid instantly appeared next to them, she must have been waiting inside the door.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Bring some coffee and some cold juice and water, will you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The girl disappeared, leaving Josef alone with the queen.

"So, Josef- do you like it here?"

"It´s a beautiful place, Your Majesty."

Josef replied politely, trying to relax into his chair- for some reason he felt uncomfortable, she was friendly, a little too friendly for his taste and it made him suspicious.

"Yes, it is- you don´t mind being here, do you."

"No- should I?"

She laughed, a pearly, unconcerned sound, she was putting on a show and Josef now was sure that this conversation had a purpose he couldn´t understand yet.

"I hope not- it´s just that most people aren´t very keen on accompanying me here- especially the members of the security team."

"Is that so" Josef said vaguely before he thanked Giselle who had reappeared and was handing him a glass of orange juice.

The queen waited until the maid had gone back inside, then she turned to Josef again.

"Please don´t try to tell me you havn´t heard any of those- rumors."

Now she had actually managed to catch him off guard, Josef couldn´t imagine what she was playing at and it made him insecure, a feeling he didn´t appreciate at all.

She was looking at him expectantly and Josef knew that she had confused him on purpose and that he had no choice but to play along in her little game until he found out what she was trying to achieve.

"There are always rumors- which rumors do you mean exactly?"

Her smile didn´t falter but it changed from innocent to triumphant in a heartbeat, making Josef feel sure that she had him exactly where she wanted him, though he still had no idea where that was- this was going to be much more challenging than he had thought and not in a good sort of way.

"Oh, you know- that I am sort of a man eating vamp."

She laughed airily but her expression was still calculating and Josef felt as though standing on particularly thin ice.

"LIke you said, Your Majesty- rumors are just rumors."

"So you don´t believe it?"

She asked, shifting slightly in her chair so that her slender body was stretched out even more provocatively in the chair and suddenly Josef realized what she was doing- she was playing the exactly same game with him she obviously had played on every vacation with one unfortunate man who had suffered the consequences first thing upon arriving back at Genovia.

Usually at his point he was to tell her that of course he believed that she could have every man she wanted and then she would continue to spin her nets until he gave in to her charms- but this time she had chosen the wrong man, Josef was determined to make sure of that.

He slid his own sunglasses off and looked firmly into her eyes as he answered "No, I don´t believe them."

She paled visibly, her smile becoming the mask Josef had seen before when she had to address parliament or guests at a formal dinner, it was plastered and unreal and Josef had to fight to keep his own face impressive when he in fact wanted to laugh out loud.

How predictable she was- a bored high class girl who didn´t care about what happened to people around her as long as she got the distractions she wanted- it almost made him smile.

For a moment she seemed speechless, then she pushed her sunglasses back onto her nose, shielding her eyes from his.

"You don´t-"

"No- Your Majesty, I have to check on the gates, I havn´t gotten around to do it today yet- please excuse me."

"Of course."

She still sounded shocked but Josef ignored her obvious distraction and got up from his chair, then walked inside the house without looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

_GraceBe: Thanks very much, I know she´s not very likable but of course her POV will be in the next part, so maybe you´ll be able to relate to her a little more then._

_Captain Weirdo: Oh, good, I´m glad you like it- I think Clarisse does have a slightly arrogant and bossy side even in the movie, so I thought it might work to show her in a different light- I don´t exactly know where it´s leading yet but I´m working on that :D_

_addlogcon: Thank you- no, I won´t, I´ll update something different tomorrow!_

_bluegirl- 783: Thank you very much- lol, yeah, battle is good- it´s Clarisse´s move next ;)_

_ForeverJulie: Thank you- here´s the next part now._

_Clarisse Renaldi: Thank you- yeah, he will... ;)_

---

Clarisse felt too shocked to move for a moment, what had just happened, had he really turned her down?

She had realized a few sentences into their conversation that Josef wouldn´t be as stupid as most of the handsome boys she had played her little games with in the last few years but she had still been convinced that he would eventually fall under her spell, that all she would need was a little more time to convince him- only that he hadn´t given her any time, instead he had as good as told her that he had no interest to even talk to her and used a most feeble excuse to get away from her.

She reached for the glass she had abandoned on the table and to her displeasure realized that her drink wasn´t cold anymore, perfect, that just fit her mood.

"Giselle!"

Her maid instantly was at her side, taking the glass and Clarisse leaned back in her chair and looked out onto the garden but even the beauty of her roses didn´t appeal to her right now.

This wasn´t fair, she only got one single week a year to finally have some fun and she wouldn´t let anyone spoil it, she would show him- no one rejected her and he wouldn´t either- all she needed was a plan.

She took the fresh cocktail from her maid without even looking up, too immersed in her thoughts.

The unpleasant truth was that Josef became more and more attractive the more resistance he showed towards her- she had already thrown caution to the wind and started a conversation after having waited for two days for him to do it, now he had simply left her here as though she was nothing but a stupid girl who was too dumb to make for an interesting conversation and he had told her he´d go and check the security installment instead.

Usually men tried anything to get her attention, she could have had anyone she wanted, anyone- and of course she had calculated wisely and waited until the crown prince himself had begged her to marry him.

And what good had it done her?

Rupert´s attention had waned instantly after they had come back from their honeymoon- he had been too busy with his new duties as king to pay much attention to her and Clarisse had been bored and lonely and only slowly had started to get used to her new life.

Then she had gotten pregnant and after Pierre had been born Rupert had taken her a bit more seriously and consulted her from time to time and even left it to her to oversee the organization of the balls that were held at the palace that season.

There hadn´t been much time for her son but Clarisse hadn´t cared much, she had known that her children would be the heirs to the Genovian throne and be raised to fit into their roles, when Phillippe had been born Clarisse had already been so busy with charity events and paper work that there had been days when she hadn´t even managed to visit the nursery.

Now her son´s were attending a boarding school and when they came home during the holidays they let her hug them and dutifully told her that they had missed her but she could see that what they were rather looking forward to was to run out into the park and enjoy their freedom than spending time with their parents.

No, it wasn´t a very happy life she was leading- a busy life, yes but empty all the same and it had changed her and not for the better- she knew herself that she had always been very sure of herself, she had been raised that way, yet there had also been room in her mind for others, friends and family and now she wasn´t interested in anyone but herself anymore, too busy to look for what was missing in her life to concern herself with the troubles of others.

Clarisse wasn´t sure how long she had been sitting there, pondering on her unpleasant thoughts but she realized suddenly that it had become awfully hot in the sun and decided that she would swim a few laps in the pool before getting dressed for lunch.

Josef would have to be present at the table and she was looking forward to see how he would act around her, he couldn´t continue being so uninterested in her after all- at least she hoped that he couldn´t.

She got up from her chair and put her sunglasses down onto the table, then she gracefully dived into the cool water, emerging seconds later and starting to swim to the opposite end of the pool, she brushed her wet hair out of her forehead, then climbed out of the pool again and reached for a towel.

She wrapped it around her body and started walking towards the terrace doors, wondering what to wear for lunch, waving Giselle away when she started following her.

"I´m going to dress alone, look if lunch is ready."

The dress Giselle had laid out for her earlier wouldn´t do, she needed someone a little more special, something that would get Josef´s attention- she closed the bedroom door behind herself and opened her wardrobe, impatiently brushing dress after dress aside until she found what she had been looking for, blue chiffon that perfectly matched her eyes and hugged her upper body like a glove, the floating skirt ending just beneath her knees.

She combined it with blue satin heels and hastily brushed her hair and when she checked her image in the mirror she couldn´t help but smile, there was no way he would manage to turn his eyes away from her.

She descended the stairs, her heart beating a little faster as she went, this was her game and she had played it before and never yet lost, she wouldn´t lose this time either.


	3. Chapter 3

_GraceBe: Thank you for the comment- yeah, it´s sad but of course she didn´t exactly chose a wise way to deal with it, so it´s going to be one hell of a job for Joe ;) Here´s the next part now!_

_Clarisse Renaldi: Good point- you tell her lol- naw, he she will get his attention but she has to work a little more for the desired effect anyway!_

_addlogcon: Tiny little bit :D Yeah, she could be happier but well... I´ll think of something ;)_

_ForeverJulie: Still LOVE your userpic 3 Thank you, I´m sorry it´s taking so long, I´m busy with school work- well, first he will get rather annoyed at her but you know me, it won´t be toooooo bad..._

_bluegirl-783: Thanks :D Yeah, I thought manipulative Clarisse would be fun- I mean in movie- reality she has obviously gone from being manipulative to simply ordering people around so I thought she might have been a bit more subtle in the beginning._

_lostmyangel: Thank you- hehe, thanks for the smiley :D_

_Captain Weirdo: Lol, yeah- he will, sort of, so not necessarily intentionally..._

_Once again thanks so much for commentating everyone, here´s chapter three, enjoy! _

_---_

Josef moodily glanced at his watch, of course she was late for lunch, why wasn´t he surprised at all.

The staff had already had lunch in the kitchen and now he was standing on the terrace, waiting for the queen because she insisted that he was close to her at all times, as though anyone would manage to get onto the chateau´s grounds, let alone onto the terrace.

But of course he had to obey her wishes, up to now she hadn´t really paid attention to him while she ate, she had been more occupied with her dog than with him, a small black poodle by the name of Tiffany that was now lying next to the table, keeping to the shade of the large parasole and eying him curiously, probably thinking he was crazy for standing in the blazing sunlight.

Josef wholeheartedly agreed but unfortunately he would have to wait until the queen was seated and then hope that she would invite him to sit as well- on the other hand he wasn´t so sure if he even wanted to sit down anywhere near her, perhaps standing would be preferable after all.

He looked up when the sound of high heels on stone announced her presence, his heart skipping a beat as he took in the sight of her in the most beautiful dress he had seen on her yet, only to been instantly distracted again by her perfectly shaped legs as she descended the stairs.

He automatically pulled out a chair for her, then became aware that he was staring and congratulated himself for having chosen such dark sunglasses, there was no way she would be able to tell what his eyes were focussed on.

"Thank you, Josef" her voice was velvety smooth, her smile warm as she addressed him.

"Do sit down with me, will you?"

"Of course, Your Majesty" he replied cooly, then he took a seat as far away from her as possible and extended his hand towards the black poodle.

"Come here, girl."

The dog happily scrambled over to him, sniffing his hand as Josef began to pad her.

"You like dogs?"

The queen asked, watching him intently.

"Yes, Ma´am."

He briefly looked up at her, then turned his attention towards the lively fur-ball again, he could almost feel her disapproving gaze, she hated not to be the center of attention, he already knew her well enough to be sure of that.

"Have you eaten already?"

She asked next and Josef decided that he obviously would have to put some effort into their conversation.

He lifted the poodle up onto his lap and continued to pad her while he focused back on the woman opposite him.

"I have, Ma´am."

She nodded while picking up her fork, looking disapprovingly at her salad.

Josef wasn´t surprised, Clarisse Renaldi always complained about everything so he would have been astonished if she had accepted the food without the usual apprehension.

"I think I need to find another cook" she sighed, turning a tomato over before shoving it aside.

"I rather enjoy the food, Ma´am" Josef replied, a little exasperated, she was so frustratingly annoying and so adorable at the same time, it was a paradox he couldn´t really explain- he wasn´t going to fall for her little games though and the easiest way about it was to simply refuse to get any more friendly with her than was necessary to remain polite.

She seemed to decide not to pursue the topic any further, instead she smiled at him.

"So have you finished your observation of the gates?"

"Yes, Ma´am."

"I trust everything is in order?"

"It is, Ma´am."

Her smile widened and Josef briefly wondered if she thought him to be as stupid as he sounded in his own ears, if that was so she didn´t seem to have too many objections against it for she continued her attempts to make him pay attention to her.

Not that he could complain, it was tempting to pay attention to her, much too tempting for Josef´s taste but she wasn´t only beautiful, she also was intelligent and had a witty sarcasm and as much as he was attracted to her body, he liked his job too much to mess with her mind.

"Well, wonderful, so you have the afternoon off then, havn´t you?"

Josef cast around for something to say but before he had come up with anything she had already added "I want to go riding- you can ride, can´t you."

"Yes" Josef nodded, of course she knew that already, she would have read it in his resume, if it had been in different company Josef would have been looking forward to the afternoon, he liked horses and he hadn´t have time for fun in months.

"Good- so why don´t you go and get changed and meet me at the stables in an hour?"

Josef carefully put the poodle down onto the ground again, then he got up and helped her up as well, his hand tingling when it brushed accidently against her bare arm, he could smell her perfume, an intoxicating scent of roses and lilac and when she looked up at him he couldn´t help but think that her eyes were of the most intense blue he had ever seen.

"Thank you" she smiled before walking away from him towards the doors and disappearing inside the house.


	4. Chapter 4

_Captain Weirdo: Aw, well- no, not at all ;) Thanks for commentating. _

_LadyLuxembourg: Thank you very much- hehe, lovely, right- but she´s not that bad, she´s just a bit lost- but she´ll find herself again..._

_bluegirl-783: Thank you- well, he sort of will- not the way you might be expecting though- I have something rather mean planned... Ok, THAT was mean not but don´t worry, you know me, I´m a sucker for happy ends- after lots of drama of course... ;)_

_addlogcon: Yeah, he´s in trouble but what a nice trouble it is... 3_

_green dame: Oh, she IS nasty- but then Clarisse has a rather self confident side to her, so I thought it would work and so far it is- thank you for reading and your pic is just adorable :D_

_lostmyangel: Thank you- hehe, yeah, I know what you mean- the first part of the reading session is going to be up now, it´s not THAT long and I apologize for that but I promise I´ll write another chapter this weekend._

_Clarisse Renaldi: Good :D I don´t know that show but it sounds fun lol- please keep reading, thank you for the comment._

_GraceBe: Of course you might, betting would be fun! Yeah, you´re right though it might not turn out as what they need... Hehe, spoilerish, wasn´t it... ;)_

_ForeverJulie: Aw, I´m always feeling better when I see your pic- Thanks for the comment and no, there isn´t._

---

She was looking stunning in her riding gear but she had to admit that it was rather warm, even though she had foregone the jacket in favor of a sleeveless white blouse.

He was already waiting at the stables, not that she was surprised thought she had to admit that it might as well simply be on her orders, she was ten minutes late already and he wasn´t in the position to not be on time.

The stablehand was waiting with the horses and she briefly patted them before turning to Josef.

"Would you please help me up?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

His voice was polite but she could detect a slight nervousness beneath the calm facade and it made her smile, she had known he would react that way and she was intent to make him lift her off and onto her horse a few times more this afternoon, what more innocent way could there be to get into closer proximity with him.

Josef´s hands closed around her waist and Clarisse felt a shiver run down her spine as he effortlessly lifted her up, she could feel the heat of his body and the scent of his after shave made her head spin.

She suddenly felt even hotter in her clothes and almost regretted her decision to spend the afternoon on a horseback rather than staying close to her cool swimming pool, on the other hand she had wanted to be alone with Josef after all and this would be the only opportunity without her stupid maid watching their every move.

She watched as Josef expertly mounted his horse, admiring his muscles rippling underneath his shirt.

"Shall we?"

His voice penetrated her hazy thoughts and she hastily looked up into his face.

"Yes- of course."

She took the reins and turned her horse sharply, blushing at the thought that he had caught her staring at him, she simply had to get a grip on herself, there was nothing more uninteresting for a man than a desperate woman.

She kicked her horse into a fast gallop and quickly registered that Josef was capable to keep up with her, one more thing that set him apart from other man she had brought here so far.

Finally she reigned her horse in next to a small lake on east side of the grand park and waited until Josef had dismounted and held his arms out to her, she put her hands onto his shoulders and made sure to brush against him as he lifted her down from the horse.

She felt him stiffen and she added a dazzling smile to her whispered ´thank you´ before letting go of him, then she took the reins of her horse and let him over to the water, then she sat down on the soft grass.

"Josef?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Won´t you come over here?"

"If you wish, Your Majesty."

He sat down next to her, carefully keeping his distance but Clarisse didn´t mind too much, at least she was alone with him and he obviously would have no choice but to stay with her as long as she decided to stay outside.

"Is there anything you aren´t good at?"

She teased amusedly, nodding towards the horses.

"Most likely, Your Majesty" he answered politely but Clarisse noticed that he didn´t know what to make of her behavior.

"Can you give me a little hint?"

For a brief moment he looked surprised, then his poker face was firmly back in place.

"I don´t think that would be a good idea, Your Majesty."

Clarisse laughed.

"Smart, aren´t you- fine, I will find out on my own then."

She laid back on the grass and closed her eyes, enjoying the sunlight on her face and all the time being aware of Josef´s eyes on her.


	5. Chapter 5

_GraceBe: Naw, it´s not- and then there´ll be the evening of course ;) Lol and it´s getting harder... Sort of- he´s a little lost right now though, she keeps getting the better of him._

_ForeverJulie: Sorry about that, here´s the next part now- Yeah, that might as well be happening ;) Aw, yes, how true 3_

_Captain Weirdo: Thanky- lol, me too :D_

_addlogcon: Yeap, she is- hehe, I´m getting there ;)_

_bluegirl-783: Thank you very much- yes, that´s what she is doing and the poor mouse- sorry, Joe- can´t really foresee what she´s doing next... But I know what you mean, I´m not sure she knows what she´s getting herself into either- but we´ll find out soon enough :D_

_lostmyangel: Thank you :D_

_Clarisse Renaldi: Lol, I do hope so- yeah, she´s not really understanding why it´s not working as it is supposed to- you don´t have to, here´s more now!_

---

Josef was trying to tell if she had actually fallen asleep or if she simply was a good actress but he couldn´t, whatever the case was she was lovely to look it, relaxed and peaceful without the usual arrogant expression on her beautiful face.

Josef lowered himself on his elbow, relaxing himself but making sure he still had her in full view, he had no idea what to make of her attitude, he had expected her to tease him mercilessly, provoke him and here she was, stretched out in the grass and obviously wanting nothing but simply relax.

Of course there was the farce she had played earlier- he knew what an excellent equestrian Clarisse Renaldi was and that she needed no help whatsoever to get onto or off her horse and yet she had asked him to help her both times and knowing her little schemes as he did by now he have to do it again later.

She was a riddle to him, not at all as shallow as he had expected her to be at first but that didn´t make being around her any easier, quite the contrary- he had thought that once he had seen through her game it would be no problem to avoid falling victim to it but now he had to admit that even though he knew what she was trying to archive he had no idea what exactly she was planning and it made him extremely uneasy.

He was aching to reach out and touch her hair or run his fingers along her cheekbone but he restrained himself, feeling ashamed to even be thinking along those lines.

Josef had lost track of time watching her but finally she opened her eyes again and smiled up at him.

"I hope you didn´t get too bored" she sounded relaxed, lazy as she slowly sat up and ran her fingers trough her blond hair.

"Not at all, Your Majesty."

Her eyes narrowed momentarily as she tried to understand the meaning behind his words but the expression was gone again as quickly as it had come.

"I suppose we should go back, I have a dinner invitation tonight."

Josef got to his feet and held his hand out, her eyes never leaving his as she gracefully accepted his help.

He finally had to look away, her eyes were too intense, searching, penetrating, as though she was able to detect his every thought.

Her perfume tickled his nose as he lifted her into the saddle, the sweet, delicious scent he had noticed earlier already and he couldn´t help but inhale deeply, realizing too late that she had noticed when she adjusted herself on her horse and smiled knowingly.

He kept his back to her as he walked around her horse to his own and made a fuss over the stirrups and reigns before mounting to have some time for getting back in control.

How could he allow himself to be manipulated so easily, she was just a woman, a beautiful one but he had known other beautiful women before her and it had never been so awfully hard to resist.

Perhaps it was the game he was attracted to, he usually was the strong character in life yet around her he felt like a lamb dancing around the lioness and right now she was willing to play but she might pounce at any moment and he had no idea when or how he could defend himself.

"Have you brought a tuxedo?"

She asked, catching him completely of guard.

"I- a tuxedo?"

"Yes."

"Uhm- yes- why?"

"Because you will have to accompany me tonight."

She smiled at him and Josef was sure she was having one hell of a good time embarrassing him but it wasn´t detectable anywhere in her face- a good actress indeed- and what on earth was she implying, anyway?

"Accompanying you, Your Majesty?"

"Yes- my friends don´t like to go out when security is present, they feel crowded, so you will have to play my date."

"Your date" Josef repeated, dumbfounded- she couldn´t be serious, could she?

How on earth was he supposed to do his job while having to sit at a table with her snobbish friends and talk about the latest fashion from Paris and where to go for skiing that winter?

"I see you don´t appreciate the idea" she stated, watching his expression.

"I don´t- I won´t be able to do my job."

"Oh, don´t worry, the restaurant is up to providing security, I don´t need company technically, it´s just that Rupert insists that I don´t go anywhere alone."

She rolled her eyes, obviously thinking her husband was overprotective but Josef had to agree with the king, there was no way the queen would go anywhere without him on this vacation, he was here to make sure nothing happened to her and as much as she annoyed him personally, he would do his job and protect her.

"What kind of restaurant is it?"

He asked against his own better judgement, he couldn´t help but being curious.

"Oh, you will enjoy it, their wine card is spectacular and the music is just dreamy."

"Music?"

Josef asked, dreading what was coming next.

"Naturally, for dancing" she told him, her casual voice having an amused note to it as she gave Josef just the answer he had been expecting.

"You can dance, can´t you?"

"You are expecting me to dance with you?"

He was sure he had misunderstood her but she only nodded cheerfully before she gave the reins to her horse and was gone so fast that Josef had real difficulty to follow her.

So now she obviously had decided that the time for subtle hints was over and that the moment had come to start playing her aces, he had no doubt that the evening would turn out as a perfect attempt of seduction on her side and all he could do was adamantly trying to resist.


	6. Chapter 6

_GraceBe: Who knows... ;) Well, there´ll be a lot of unpleasant musings first, have fun and please keep reading!!_

_addlogcon: Sort of- aw, come on, he´s trying so hard here, you have to give him some credit for that... Thank you very much :D_

_ForeverJulie: No problem, here it is- well, the fist part of it, it´ll have several... ;)_

_bluegirl-783: Thank you- yeap, poor Joe- but what a cute fly he makes... Manipulative Clarisse is so much fun though of course she will have to realize that it´s not all there is to life soon... _

_The Honourable Takeshismus: Hehe, good one- Thank you very much, I´m working on that now;)_

_lostmyangel: Thanks- yeah, dancing... ;)_

---

"Has my dress arrived?"

Clarisse asked as she passed her maid on her way up the stairs.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is in your room, shall I-"

"No, you can come up in an hour."

She didn´t pay further attention to the girl and hurried up the stairs, being able to order whatever she wanted from any designer she fancied was one of the few things she absolutely adored about being a queen.

The dress was laid out on the bed, midnight blue silk that would bring out her eyes, the bodice adorned with silver patterns- it was wonderful and just what she had had in mind when she had called Christian a few days ago.

She walked over into the bathroom, undressing on the way and carelessly throwing her clothes on the floor, the maid could see to them later after she had left- with Josef.

Clarisse stepped into the shower and turned the water on, then she closed her eyes and let the cool spray run over her skin while thinking about the afternoon.

He was hard to read, she could tell of course that he was attracted to her but he simply refused to act on it even though she kept giving him unmistakable hints that she wouldn´t mind if he did.

Obviously he had made it his goal to not give in to her and it annoyed and excited her all at once, usually she had no trouble with getting what she wanted from the men around her and Josef presented a challenge she hadn´t foreseen but that wasn´t all, there was more to him, she felt drawn to him in a way she hadn´t felt before.

Even though he wasn´t talking much around her she could tell that he would be delightful to have a real conversation with and she felt that she longed to spend more time with him, it seemed almost more tempting than seducing him and that thought was irritating her.

Being attracted to his mind wasn´t part of her plan, she wanted him, that was why she had insisted he´d accompany her to her chateau and even though he wasn´t playing along she still was determined to eventually get what she wanted and yet she felt herself more and more distracted by his personality.

For the first time since her wedding to Rupert she found herself wondering how it would be to have a real marriage, someone to actually love, a partner who shared her thoughts and dreams, not just using her husband to feel better about herself.

She had been raised to believe that her looks and social standard were cards that had to be played well to get as much as possible out of life, of course her parents had referred to material goods, Clarisse had never been told how important personal fulfillment was for being truly happy.

She had seen couples around her and smiled at their naivety, what good was being in love if it meant to live in a small townhouse and having to do a boring job each day, spending the evenings at home and being able to afford dinner at a middle class restaurant every other month.

Such a life had never appealed to her, she had known exactly what she wanted, a life in the palace, surrounded by servants and admirers, whole wardrobes full of exquisite gowns, sparkling tiaras, invitations to every fancy ball or party and sentimental thoughts about love and companionship had never gotten in her way before.

Being around Josef this week had told her a lot about human relations she had never considered before, he had shown her how it was to be treated like a real person, he was the first man she had ever known who wasn´t so dazzled by her looks that he forgot everything else, he was trying to figure her out and even though it was a negative interest, he obviously couldn´t stand her, it made him keep his distance.

Others before him hadn´t given a damn about her as a person, she doubted her husband knew anything about her preferences or dislikes, she was there and could be dressed up and presented and then be forgotten about again and up to now she hadn´t cared as long as any dressing up meant a new designer dress and required to take the crown jewels out of the palace´s vault.

Now upon being seen as a human being for the first time since she could remember she was starting to have doubts- what would happen when she wasn´t young and radiant anymore, when people stopped begging for her attention, when her son´s would have grown up and marry beautiful young girls and people would stare at them and she would be standing next to a king who wouldn´t look at her ever again once she had lost her appeal in the bedroom?

Clarisse suddenly realized that she was crying and she impatiently brushed the tears away, angry with herself for having such silly thoughts- how could she allow someone like Josef to doubt herself like this, who was he after all, a servant, a nobody, even when she wouldn´t have her natural charms to her disposal anymore she would still be the queen and people would have to respect her for that if for nothing else, he would never be anyone but a shade in the background.

The queen resolutely turned the shower off and reached for a large towel and wrapped herself into it, then she stepped in front of the mirror and carefully examined herself.

She was looking flawless, her blue eyes sparkling, her short blond hair curly from being wet, her porcelain skin smooth and cool to touch.

Satisfied with her looks she walked over into her bedroom where she put on a robe, then checked her watch and realized that her maid would be there in a few minutes to do her hair and help her getting dressed.

Clarisse stepped over to the balcony doors and out onto the terrace, it was still warm though the sun was setting already.

She was wondering what the evening would be like, normally she would be looking forward to showing off her newest beau in front of her friends, of course none actually said anything but they all knew, even Rupert knew, he was having affairs right, left and center all the time for heaven´s sake!

Tonight would be different of course, there wasn´t anything to show off, she hadn´t even succeeded with seducing Josef, not that she ever had to try and seduce anyone before, other men did their best to seduce her- that thought made her doubts return full force, now she thought about it she hadn´t actually have any experience with the situation she found herself in, it wasn´t as if she couldn´t tell that he appreciated her beauty of course it simply didn´t seem to be enough to make him crack.

The door to her rooms opened and she turned to see her maid curtsying and then hesitantly waiting for her to come back inside the room.

Clarisse deeply inhaled the sweet scent of the evening air for a last time, then she turned and went back into her bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

_GraceBe: Oh good- thanks- hehe, yeah, that would be quite the thing... ;)_

_addlogcon: Sort of- he will be, eventually, only not right now, where´s the fun without a little tension first :D_

_ForeverJulie: You will find out, not in this chapter but I´m getting there- thanks again for reading!_

_The Honourable Takeshimus: Well, it was high time, wasn´t it- that´s good, keep looking forward to it please :D_

_bluegirl-783: Thank you- it´s going to get complicated for her, poor girl- but since I know from experience that even blondes are capable of thinking she will make it through just fine ;) Lol, yeah, bzzzzzzz... _

_Captain Weirdo: Thank you- yes, I couldn´t resist, I love to make her eat her own words...  
_

_Clarisse Renaldi: Thank you very much- there are going to be more real feelings than Clarisse appreciates, don´t worry ;) _

---

Josef straightened his tie while standing in front of a floor length mirror in his room, it was almost six and they would have to leave in half an hour.

He was nervous, a feeling he hated and especially when it was caused by something as silly as the prospect of having to play dinner date for his boss- what was she playing at, she couldn´t be that obvious in front of her friends, after all she was married and had a reputation to uphold- or perhaps he was simply hopelessly naive for thinking that way, it probably was completely normal in her circles to take whatever life offered, now he thought about it properly he had heard things about the king and several women over the last few months, he only had brushed them aside as the usual gossip of employees envying their employer´s their life style.

Now that he had spend a few days around the queen he wasn´t so sure anymore, obviously the royal couple didn´t care about each other so was it so surprising that they sought distraction elsewhere?

He wondered if either of them had ever actually loved, probably not, perhaps people who had that much money lived under the illusion that happiness was something they could buy if they invested enough into it.

For a moment he pitied the young woman upstairs, she had chosen to live her life chasing after all the wrong things and probably wasn´t even aware of it- he had spend enough time with her now to be certain that she was intelligent and had a sense of humor and that if she had been raised differently there might also have been a great capacity to love and care about the really important aspects of life but as it was she would remain the way she was and there wasn´t much to do about that.

He remembered how lovely she had been while being asleep, so relaxed and somehow much more real than usually, she had actually looked like the young woman she was, a woman who might have been able to show real affection to a loving husband or play with her children or laugh at getting caught in the rain or like ice cream or butterflies or romance novels.

Josef shook his head, what was he doing, it was no good to fantasize about someone who didn´t exist, she wasn´t that girl he had seen while watching her sleep, she was the woman she was while being awake, the woman she would be later when she would be wearing a brand new dress with every hair perfectly in place and perfect make up on her face, when she would smile her false bright smile and speak with that sultry note in her voice that caused little shivers to run down his spine because she knew so damn well how to weave her nets.

As he made his way downstairs he couldn´t help but glance in the direction of her door, as much as he hated himself for it he couldn´t help but looking forward to seeing her, it never creased to amaze him how perfect she was and judging by her behavior so far this week she would outdo herself.

He waited by the front doors, checking his watch every few minutes and wondering if also on holiday she would be late as she always was at home but it was barely half past six when he heard a door open upstairs and the sound of high heels on marble indicated that the queen was on her way downstairs.

The sight of her took Josef´s breath away, he couldn´t imagine a more beautiful image than the one displayed in front of him- the dress was silk, a dark blue that brought out her beautiful eyes and made her skin seem even fairer in compare, it left her shoulders bare and a fair amount of cleavage exposed and when he helped her into her coat he realized that the back was cut out almost to her waist.

She must have noticed his sharp intake of breath because she turned her head and smiled teasingly at him.

"Like what you see?"

He had been right, she had decided to simply play with open cards now.

"If you were my daughter you wouldn´t be leaving the house like this" he replied smoothly, his sarcasm getting the better of him and the corners of her mouth twitched as she fought back her laughter.

"Then I´m very glad you aren´t my father- and not only because of that" she whispered, her breath tickling in his ear and he closed his eyes for a moment, his heart pounding as he fought for control.

"And I´m glad you like the dress" she added, fueling the fire before she pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders and started to descend the stairs.

Still a little shocked at her impertinent boldness Josef followed her, nodding briefly to the driver who was holding the car door open for the queen.

Josef helped her inside, then started to make his way around the car but her hand on his arm stopped him.

"Join me, will you?"

She looked up at him, her expression once again impossible to read but Josef decided to simply do what she asked him to, the less he contradicted her, the less he would have to argue with her.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

He climbed into the back seat and tried to get comfortable, all the while being all too aware of the queen´s close proximity next to him.

Clarisse Renaldi had straightened out her gown and draped it elegantly around her, now she was leaning back against the black leather interior of the car, eyeing Josef in a way that in his opinion resembled a cat that was about to swallow a juicy canary- unfortunately he had the suspicion that he was the canary in question and it didn´t do anything to lift his mood.

"You look rather comfortable in a tuxedo" she stated and Josef wondered what she was trying to achieve this time, he was feeling anything but comfortable and that couldn´t have gone unnoticed by her.

Her next sentence answered his question but made him rather even more nervous.

"I have never seen you wear one before- how long have you been with us now?"

"For six months, Your Majesty."

"I see- what have you done before?"

"I have been with the army, Ma´am."

He was determined not to go into details, if he kept to his short answers perhaps she would find him so dull that she stopped talking to him for the rest of the night- not that talking would be her eventual goal anyway, he added dryly to the thought.

"What about your family?"

"My father works as a surgeon in a hospital in Madrid."

He could tell that she was surprised but she hid it quickly behind a smile.

"Really- do you have any siblings?"

"A sister- she is married in France, she met her husband on a vacation she took with a friend."

"You must miss her."

"I do- do you have a sister or a brother?"

Damn, he had been so determined not to get into the conversation and here he was, asking her things about her personal life...

"I have a brother, he´s older than me by twelve years and we aren´t very close, he´s a diplomat- right now he is living at Rome."

There was a hint of sadness in her voice but Josef couldn´t tell if it was really because she was wishing to have more contact with her brother or if it was just another attempt to make him open up to her.

"I do hope my sons will have a strong bond when they are older, right now they only get along because they have better chances of opposing Rupert and me during the holidays."

She was still smiling but now it was a different smile, it reached her eyes and for a moment she was so tragical beautiful in her sadness that Josef couldn´t do anything but stare at her, completely enchanted.

He quickly snapped out of his haze as the car came to a halt and the queen looked up at the same moment.

"We´re here already, I hadn´t even noticed."

The driver opened the door and helped her out while Josef got out of the car on the other side, stepping around the car and offering the queen his arm to lead her inside.

He had to admit that he instantly fell in love with the little french restaurant, the light was just dim enough to make for a cozy atmosphere, aided by candles on the tables and the romantic guitar music hanging in the air.

They met the queen´s friends at the bar, two other couples around her age and when they were introduced to them Josef realized that they knew Clarisse Renaldi from attending an English boarding school together.

He was a little surprised that she even was capable of upholding friendships but he quickly found that both young man were delightful to talk to, both were members of the Genovian army and currently stationed at Paris.

They were soon engaged in discussions of politics and military operations they had taken part in while the queen and her girlfriends were sipping champagne and talking about children and fashion and the balls they had attended that season.


	8. Chapter 8

_lostmyangel: Aw, no problem, thanks for reviewing again now- and thank you, I´ll try and keep it that way then :D_

_addlogcon: Hehe, he sure is- but I suppose he´s starting to see a bit more now, yes- thanks for the review!_

_ForeverJulie: Sorry it took so long- lol, yes ;)_

_bluegirl-783: Yes, he is, isn´t he- aw, I´m feeling sorry for her now, he´s so insecure and she didn´t even know up to to now ;) Joey the black canary- lovely... _

_Lochinblu: Thanks- me too ;) Oh, it is..._

_GraceBe: It´s hard, isn´t it... But he´ll live... ;)_

---

Clarisse put her empty champagne glass down onto the table and looked pointedly at Josef who took the hint and got up from his chair, offering his hand to her.

"Would you care to dance, Your Majesty?"

"But of course" Clarisse purred, taking his outstretched hand and gracefully getting to her feet while trying hard to ignore her friend´s whispers.

Mary and Nicole had both spent all night giggling and watching Josef talking to their spouses and glancing meaningfully at Clarisse who had avoided to comment on their jokes, too humiliated to risk them finding out that there was nothing going on between her bodyguard and herself whatsoever.

And to her utter annoyance she couldn´t help the fact that it wasn´t bothering her half as much as it should have been, she had so much enjoyed watching him sit there, having a good time, even laugh and joke and she had caught herself staring dreamily at him for several times, like a schoolgirl who´s crush had asked her to the prom.

Wonderful, what exactly had happened to being in control of her emotions and thinking all people who weren´t silly, here she was, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest as it pounded insanely when Josef put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

He expertly led her across the floor and Clarisse found herself once more surprised by him over discovering that he was a better dancer than Rupert- at the same time it fueled her curiosity to find out more about him, there were so many sides undiscovered yet, not that she should be curious, quite the contrary, that curiosity was much too dangerous and she knew that she should do whatever she could to bury it deep inside herself and never think about it again.

The music changed and Clarisse looked up into Josef´s face, startled- he was smiling mockingly at her, his reservation lessened after some champagne and a relaxing conversation.

"Not up to it?"

He whispered to her, challenging her and Clarisse had never been one to resist a challenge, especially not one that was so utterly delightful.

"But of course- are you?"

He bent her backwards, almost to the floor, then pulled her back up and against his chest.

Clarisse couldn´t remember the last tango she had danced but obviously it wasn´t something you forgot how to do, besides Josef was moving with such grace and precision that it would have been close to impossible to miss a step while he was leading.

Their gazes were burning into each other and Clarisse briefly wondered what might have happened if something had come between them, it probably would have been burned to cinders.

When the dance ended she was completely out of breath but the way Josef was looking at her told her that she looked as alive and sparkling as she felt- he kissed her hand, his lips lingering a moment too long on her skin, then lead her back over to the table.

"Dear me" Mary whispered into her ear, "is he as good in bed as on the dance floor?"

"Mary, that really isn´t an appropriate question" Clarisse scolded her friend while reaching for her glass that was filled again, thirstily taking a sip.

"But an interesting one" Nicole added, "that was the best show I´ve ever seen in my life."

"Well, thank you" the queen would have loved to roll her eyes but of course that was out of the question.

"Come on, Risse, just a few tiny little details" Mary begged but Clarisse shook her head.

"What´s wrong" her friend insisted, "you aren´t usually that closed up."

"Can´t you tell?"

Nicole giggled, briefly glancing over at Josef and then turning back to her friends.

"She´s falling for him- I´ve always told you that would happen, Clarisse, you didn´t want to listen and that´s what comes from it- but don´t worry too much, from the looks of it he´s feeling the same way about you."

"I really have no idea what you are talking about" Clarisse snapped, causing both of her friends to giggle again.

"Poor Darling" Mary patted her arm, "it doesn´t hurt, does it."

"What does?"

Clarisse asked, momentarily distracted by the other woman´s question.

"Melting, my little ice queen- it must be highly uncomfortable and very slippery."

"My, aren´t you two funny tonight" Clarisse rolled her eyes before getting up again and looking pointedly at Josef.

"It´s rather hot in here, isn´t it?"

He got up at once and offered her his arm.

"Let´s go outside for a moment, shall we, Your Majesty?"

She let him lead her out onto the terrace, the night air cool on her flushed skin as she looked out over the lovely garden bathed in moonlight.

"I´m sorry for their behavior" she offered, not really knowing why she was apologizing to him but not daring to ponder the question further.

"Actually I´m enjoying their company" he replied smoothly, his voice calm and the queen marveled how he could be so perfectly in control when she was still tingling all over after the excitement of the passionate dance they had shared only minutes ago.

She didn´t know what to say, now that she was alone with him, no one around them to put on a show for, she felt almost shy- he wasn´t looking at her, obviously lost in thoughts and she felt a fierce jolt of jealousy of whatever it was that was occupying his thoughts.

He was so close and yet so far away and she wanted- did she even know what she wanted?

She shivered, it was colder than she had expected and a moment later something wonderfully warm and soft was wrapped around her, Josef´s jacket and Clarisse was surrounded by his scent.

It was comforting and arousing all at once, almost as though being back in his arms and how she longed for just that, being back in his arms, just being held and feeling safe- the queen briefly closed her eyes, she had to stop thinking about him like this, she was getting herself further and further into an emotional turmoil that she wasn´t familiar with and where she didn´t know how to get out of again.

"You are shivering" his breath was warm in her ear and she could only not, not trusting her voice to sound anywhere near collected.

"We should go back inside" he offered but Clarisse shook her head, she needed to be alone for a few minutes, without curious glances and snide comments, Josef was the first person in a very long time that didn´t bother her when he was around her, he didn´t have that intense need to talk all the time, he wasn´t crowding her and as much as it had irritated her only yesterday, now it seemed a most wonderful quality about him.

Then something came to her mind and she looked up into his eyes.

"Unless you are cold-"

He shook his head, a hint of a smile grazing his handsome features.

"Don´t worry, Your Majesty, I´m not cold."

"It´s just so rarely that I can be alone for a moment- it´s hard to always be flawless."

She thought how pointless it was to tell him this, he would think that she was telling him on purpose, just another attempt to make him soften- she had started to talk to him only this morning and already she had managed to ruin any possibility there might have been for them to be something like friends- she was good at ruining chances in a few hours.

Now she knew that she was also good at loosing her head in an even shorter time- maybe even her heart.

His eyes were dark in the moonlight, beautiful and mysterious, she felt drawn to them, tempted to get lost in them, when had this happened, sometime between lunch and dinner, or later when he had whirled her around on the dance floor or put his jacket around her shoulders to keep her warm?

"Are you happy, Josef?"

"Your Majesty?"

He seemed surprised, he hadn´t expected a question like that, not from her.

"Is there anything to be happy about in your life?"

"There are things to be happy about in everyone´s life."

She nodded slowly, of course he would say that, it was the answer of a healthy, sane person.

"I am spoiled and ungrateful- and I am not happy."

She confessed, feeling almost ashamed, what was there not to be happy about, she had a husband, children, she could have anything she wished for, it was all one phone call away- he must think she was the silliest person he had ever met.

Clarisse abruptly shoved his jacket back into his arms, she needed to get away from him, she had made a fool of herself already and she knew she would regret it the next day and if she didn´t go back inside straight away she might make it even worse.


	9. Chapter 9

_lostmyangel: Well, sort of- not straight away, she´ll start playing games with him a little more openly first- thanks for the comment!_

_ForeverJulie: Sorry- I don´t have much time for writing these days- well, first it´s going to be an open challenge, good luck there, Joe ;)_

_addlogcon: Sure, he´s Joe after all :D Naw, she´ll be putting them up again- not sure she´ll be very successful though..._

_bluegirl-783: Thank you- hehe, yeah, her friends are lovely, aren´t they... Well, he still doesn´t know what to make of her- he can´t really decide if she´s playing games or if she is honest..._

_GraceBe: Thank you, here´s more now!_

_darkprince31: Thank you very much :D_

_Clarisse Renaldi: Ohhhh, thank you :D That´s a great comment- so here´s more now!_

_Captain Weirdo: Thank you very much- yeah, she´s going to have to try VERY hard to get the reaction she wants out of him... But well, I´ll see what I can do to help her... _

_The Honourable Takeshimus: Yes, she has- she only just found out herself but well, better now than never... Thanks for the comment :D_

---

Josef followed the queen back inside at a slower pace, pondering her words and wondering if she had meant them or if she was still playing with him- he didn´t know and he wouldn´t find out and it shouldn´t even bother him, what was it to him if she was happy or not, all he had to do was making sure that no physical harm came to her, there were other´s who could concern herself with her mind.

She didn´t wait for him to pull out her chair for her but sat down herself and started telling her girlfriends about her plans for the annual birthday ball for the king while Josef sat down himself, amazed at how quickly she had managed to put up her facade again- or maybe it wasn´t a facade, perhaps she simply was that shallow, who was he to tell.

He watched her and her friends drink their way through yet another bottle of champagne and when the queen finally decided that it was time to go home Josef had to discretely help her up from her chair and steady her when she staggered on her heels.

"Easy, Ms. Perfect, falling flat on your face doesn´t exactly count as being especially graceful, you know" he whispered to her, earning himself an annoyed "Oh, shut up" from her that caused him to chuckle softly so her friends wouldn´t hear.

They said their goodbyes and Josef was delighted when both young men expressed that they were looking forward to seeing him again soon.

"They really liked you" the queen smiled as Josef helped her into the car, "usually they just put up with whoever I bring with me."

"Well, lucky me then" Josef replied evenly before closing the door and rounding the car to sit down next to his queen.

"I shouldn´t have drunk so much" she sighed, her head sinking against Josef´s shoulder as her eyes fluttered shut.

"An excellent point, Your Majesty" Josef couldn´t help but smile, she was too cute in her drunken state.

"Hm-" her hair was soft against Josef´s neck, it smelled of roses and shampoo and he instinctively pulled her closer to him to make her more comfortable.

She was fast asleep when they arrived back in front of the chateau and Josef carefully disentangled himself from her before opening the door and lifting Clarisse out of the car.

He quietly bid the driver goodnight, then climbed the stairs to the front door with the sleeping queen in his arms, he carried her up the stairs and only when he had reached her bedroom he started wondering what to do with her now.

He had no idea if it was usual for her to get so drunk and if she would simply sleep or if she might wake up again and feel as bad as he usually did when something similar happened to him.

"Fantastic" he mumbled while putting her down onto the bed and pulling her shoes off her feet, then he drew back and looked at her.

The easiest thing would be to simply undress her but Josef wasn´t sure that this was the best idea- he decided to try and wake her up.

"Your Majesty?"

She didn´t even stir, she simply slept on and Josef sat down next to her and despite his better knowledge he reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her forehead.

"You´re a real mystery to me, do you know that?"

He asked conversationally, "what happened to being in control at all costs?"

Of course there was no reaction but Josef hadn´t exactly expected one anyway.

He briefly considered waking up her maid but he wasn´t sure she would appreciate it if Giselle saw her like this.

Finally he reached for the tiny pearl buttons on her dress and started undoing them, then he pulled the dress off of her and covered her with the bed sheets before spreading the dress over a chair next to the bed.

He continued to watch her for a while, fascinated by the way her eyelashes were resting on her cheeks, how her rosy lips were parted slightly while she slept.

When he glanced at his watch he realized that it was already after three am and Josef made up his mind- he would sleep on the sofa in her living room, that way she couldn´t tell him in the morning that she had known he would end up in her bedroom rather sooner than later and he would be close if she needed him.

It was harder than he cared to admit to leave the bedroom, he tried to convince himself that he was simply worried about her, after all it was his job to be worried about her- but after all she was safe in her own bed and he was running out of excuses, so he finally tore his eyes away from her angelic face and left the room.

He settled down on the sofa and pulled a blanket over himself, he was exhausted but there was so much to think about he doubted he would be able to sleep anytime soon.

He must have fallen asleep at some point anyway though because when he next opened his eyes the sun was shining through the windows and Clarisse Renaldi was sitting in a comforter next to the couch Josef had been sleeping on- she was wearing a powder blue silk robe that was tied carelessly and showed not only far too much cleavage but also most of her long slender legs.

She was holding a tea cup in her hand and had an amused smile on her face as she observed him trying to regain full conscience.

"Good morning" she chirped, then added "would you care for some tea or would you prefer some coffee?"

"Coffee would be heavenly" Josef sat up, stretching and yawning before focussing on the queen who looked perfectly awake and well.

"You are looking far too awake, you know" he told her and her eyes sparkled mockingly.

"Well, I´m sorry about that- thank you for tonight by the way, I really had a bit too much."

"Just a tiny little bit, Your Majesty- I should go and take a shower."

"I´ll have your coffee brought to your room then- are you coming down to the pool afterwards? It´s going to be as hot as yesterday."

"Once again I´m not here for pleasure, Madam."

"Oh tosh, don´t be so boring, Josef, it´s not as though someone is going to climb over the fence and kill me."

"You never know that."

"Do I have to order you to have some fun here?"

She sighed as she put her cup down onto the table.

"I really can´t figure you out, you know" Josef stated, "why are you so determined to spend time with me, you don´t even know me- you do have friends around here, why don´t you invite Mary and Nicole over for the day?"

She smiled coyly at him, then provocatively crossed her legs before answering.

"I´m not looking for the kind of fun girlfriends have together" she offered and Josef nodded.

"Of course not- but truth be told, it´s not going to happen."

"What isn´t going to happen?"

"The kind of fun you are after- it takes two and I´m not going to be a willing participant."

She just stared at him for a moment, his bluntness had obviously taken her by surprise, then she leaned back against the couch and crossed her arms.

"How would you even know what I am after?"

"I´m not stupid, even though you might think I am- I´m not going to touch you, whatever you try."

"Aren´t you now- you are damn sure of yourself."

"Comes with my job- speaking of being damn sure of yourself, you could give me a run for my money anytime."

"Exactly- and that´s why you will eat your words."

Josef laughed, she was impossible, charming in her own way and almost too beautiful to resist but still impossible.

"We´ll see about that- if you excuse me, I´ll go and take a shower now."

"Remember coming down to the pool afterwards" she reminded him and Josef turned on his way to the door.

"Are you making it an order now?"

"Of course I am- why shouldn´t I use anything that´s to my disposal after all."

"A good point- it´s not going to make any difference though."

She smiled devilishly back at him.

"Just you wait and see."


	10. Chapter 10

_CJmynixMG: Thank you very much, I´m very glad you´re enjoying it- so please keep reading and reviewing! :D_

_tabby-fan: Thank you :) So here is the first part of that, there´s more to come and then Paris and the opera and a lot of other things I´ve already planned out._

_lostmyangel: Lol, I´ll do my best ;)_

_bluegirl-783: Hey- uhm, not really, she was a little bit drunk and out of control, you know, hidden vulnerable personality and so on... But yeah, the cat thing is a cute imagine, what a sweet little cat she would make... _

_GraceBe: Lol, you´re right, that wouldn´t be too bad- well, we´ll see... _

_addlogcon: Yeah, let the games begin... And on to the pool ;)_

_Clarisse Renaldi: Sorry about that... But here´s the next part now, I´m trying to be faster, I really am..._

_Lochinblu: Thanks very much- perhaps you should join them in the pool then :D_

_Captain Weirdo: Hehe, nice comment... At least he´ll get very wet._

_ForeverJulie: Thanks, Darling- more to come now!_

---

Clarisse stretched out on her towel, still replaying her latest conversation with Josef in her head.

She chuckled when she thought about the open challenge they were facing now, a challenge she was determined to win.

"Giselle" she chirped and her maid was at her side in an instant, carrying a tray with orange juice, coffee and one of the queen´s never missing cocktails.

"Thank you" Clarisse smiled, causing the maid´s eyebrows to lift before she hurried back inside the house.

She was replaced moments later by Josef who came out onto the terrace in his usual black trousers and shirt.

"Josef- am I usually rude to my employees?"

"What exactly do you mean, the way you are treating your maid or the way you are treating me?"

He replied as he sat down on a chair next to her.

"Actually I was talking about Giselle- why, how am I treating you?"

"You are treating me like your personal toy- Giselle simply like your maid, butler, cook and emotional wastebasket all in one."

"Oh- I see."

"Why are you asking?"

"It´s just- I thanked her for bringing my drink and she looked at me as though I had gone mad."

"Understandable- I can´t remember hearing you thanking anyone ever before."

Clarisse decided that it was time to drop the subject.

"Why aren´t you wearing anything fit for swimming?"

"I never said I would swim, Madam, I merely came down here because you ordered me to do so."

"What if I fall into the pool now, are you going to jump after me in your clothes?"

"I wouldn´t jump after you at all- you are an excellent swimmer."

"What if I hit my head and drown?"

"That´s not funny- but if you insist, yes, then I would jump after you like that."

"So why don´t you just go back inside and put on swimming trunks, then you could just swim without me drowning first."

Josef rolled his eyes.

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Of course- it can hardly get any worse."

His expression was impossible to read as he nodded.

"Good- do you have anything to do except manipulating the people around you into being on your beg and call?"

"Let me think- not while I´m on holiday."

"How about reading a book or- I don´t know, knitting or visiting a museum-"

"Lovely ideas, thank you- that reminds me, we are going to Paris tomorrow."

"We are? Why?"

"Just a little shopping- and we´ll attend the opera tomorrow night."

His face was priceless when he heard the words shopping and opera and Clarisse enjoyed every second of it.

"How are we going to get there- drive?"

"Are you insane, I don´t plan spending half the day in a car- we´ll take the helicopter of course- I have a meeting with Christian at eleven."

"Christian as in Christian Dior?"

"That´s the one" Clarisse replied happily before taking another sip of her drink.

"By the way, why are you still here, I thought I´d asked you to change into something suitable for swimming."

He got up without further comment and Clarisse looked after him until he had disappeared in the house, then she leaned back again, picturing her bodyguard in his swimming outfit.

Josef changed into his swimming trunks and checked his appearance in the mirror- if she so desperately wanted to see him like this, who was he to deny it to her.

What was bothering him much more was the trip to Paris on the following day- hanging around while his queen was trying on dresses wasn´t exactly his idea of a perfect afternoon.

And then the opera- Josef couldn´t exactly say that he had seen a lot of operas but what he had seen had already been enough- and of course she would spend the whole evening playing her silly little games with him.

He made his way back downstairs, finding the queen just like he had expected still on the terrace, sipping her cocktail.

"Now that´s better" she told him, looking him shamelessly upside down.

"I have a feeling that thank you wouldn´t be the right reply" he told her before turning around and diving head first into the pool, he emerged again and turned around to Clarisse Renaldi who was gazing at him dreamily.

He watched her getting up and couldn´t help but notice that her legs looked even longer from his current perspective- she sat down at the side of the pool, crossing her legs and dangling them into the water.

"Do you own anything that´s not black?"

She teased, glancing at his swimming trunks.

"Not that I know of- do you have anything in black?"

"Black doesn´t complement me" she shrugged, "but if you insist- I suppose I could find something."

"I´m not insisting, Your Majesty- I was just wondering."

"At least you are starting to wonder about me, aren´t you?"

She sounded innocent and Josef couldn´t help but laugh.

"You wish- you were right about one thing though, it´s much cooler in here."

A moment later he regretted his words for of she of course took his words to heart instantly and gracefully dove into the water, emerging right next to him and shaking her blond hair so that tiny drops of glistening water flew everywhere.

"Now-" she leaned onto the edge of the pool and looked up at him through her long eyelashes "what are we going to do?"

"I don´t know what you were planning but usually when I´m in a pool I swim."

He didn´t wait for her reply but began to move away from her but when he reached the other side of the basin she was already there.

"How did you do that?"

"I swam after you."

So she was the faster swimmer as well as the better rider, how utterly divine...

"Don´t worry, there has to be something you could beat me at" she told him conversationally but Josef simply drew a deep breath, he wouldn´t let her provoke him any further, he owed it to himself to at least try.

"Oh no, please tell me you havn´t decided to simply stay calm, how boring."

She splashed some water at him and Josef instinctively reacted by turning and doing the same, causing her to laugh at him again.

"You men are all the same, you never can endure things that hurt your pride."

"That´s a stereotype, nothing else."

"Up to now you turn out to be a very stereotypical male, you know."

"Is that so."

"Of course- well, except for one insignificant, tiny detail that I fully intend to fix."

"I thought being a queen was all about being prim and proper and you are most certainly the most impertinent, most disrespectful person I have ever met, how come?"

"I´m on holiday- everyone needs some time now and then to be themselves, even I."

"Poor you- that´s really tragical."

He knew he was being meaner than necessary but she simply had a way to infuriate him so completely that he couldn´t think at all anymore.

For a moment she actually looked hurt, then her superior smile was firmly back in place.

"Of course you wouldn´t understand- how silly of me to consider you might."

"Now that´s highly unfair, you can´t act all playful at one moment and then at the next take things seriously again."

"Why do you even care, it shouldn´t bother you, should it."

"Probably not."

He swam away from her again, not looking back to see if she was following him.


	11. Chapter 11

_bluegirl- 783: Aw, thanks :D Hehe, yeah, they really are getting to each other- I´m really sorry it took forever to update but I´m so busy at school at the moment- please keep r&r!_

_Clarisse Renaldi: Sorry, not yet- there´ll be some more teasing first ;)_

_ForeverJulie: Hm... Well, right now she´s still determined to get what she wants her way- she´ll realize sooner or later that it won´t work, obviously ;)_

_addlogcon: Yes, that sounds about right- ever seen Sunset Boulevard? The chapter after the next one is inspired by it... Shopping and so on- thanks for the review!_

_GraceBe: Thank you- well, for now it´s more dancing around each other but Josef will get really angry at her sooner or later._

_Captain Weirdo: Thanks, Darling- hehe, yeah, poor her, it really is... ;)_

_---_

She watched him climb out of the pool again and decided to follow him, what good was it to stay in the water all alone after all.

"Josef, would you help me, please?"

She asked, hiding her smile when she saw the exasperated expression on his face as he replied "Of course, Your Majesty."

He extended his hand to her and she found it highly amusing when he couldn´t tear his eyes away from her cleavage as he helped her out of the pool.

"Thank you- I´ll have Giselle bring out something to drink, what would you like?"

"Listen, I really can´t spend all day out here with you, I´m not here for pleasure."

"What are you here for then?"

"To ensure your safety."

"Exactly- and what better way to ensure it but bring out here with me?"

She beamed at him and brushed past him, taking a towel from a nearby chair and wrapping it around her as she made her way up towards the terrace doors.

Her maid was waiting just inside, Clarisse had told her not to disturb her outside and for a moment she wondered what the girl was thinking but then she found that she didn´t exactly care.

"What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"

The maid curtsied and Clarisse considered for a moment, then she said "Some juice would be nice- and tea perhaps- I think that would be all for now."

Leaving a very confused Giselle behind and walking back outside Clarisse realized that this was the first morning she hadn´t asked her maid for alcohol before ten- well, it was her holiday, wasn´t it.

She found Josef still sitting next to the pool, a rather gloomy expression on his handsome face.

"Are you always so uncommunicative?"

She asked, discarding the towel and sitting down next to him.

"Funny- you know exactly why I´m not very interested in talking to you."

"Let me think- no, I don´t, actually."

He looked at her, frowning.

"I don´t like being pushed around- I´m good in what I´m doing and I think I deserve a chance to prove it."

"Oh, you can have any chance you want to prove how good you are."

Clarisse teased, she couldn´t resist, he was so deliciously easy to provoke.

"Are you always that much trouble?"

He sighed and she nodded happily.

"Much more so- up to now I havn´t been very troublesome."

"Except when I had to carry you upstairs because you were too drunk to walk."

He reminded her but Clarisse only shrugged.

"Wasn´t there anything about that in your job description?"

"Not that I remember."

"Well, we can´t have that, I´ll have it put in there as soon as possible."

"Thank you, that won´t be necessary."

"You can be so boring, Josef- tell me, what do I have to do to make you loosen up a little?"

"You could stop insisting that I stay here and let me do my job."

"Wrong answer- try again, will you?"

The banter was interrupted by Giselle who was putting a tray with glasses, a jug of juice, cups and a tea pot down onto the table and disappeared again.

Clarisse got up and poured herself a cup of tea, then she added milk and turned to Josef.

"Would you like tea or juice?"

He got up and walked over to her, a strange smile on his face.

"You really are desperate, aren´t you?"

For a moment Clarisse was taken aback.

"What makes you think that?"

"You are personally serving me tea- if that´s not desperate I don´t know what is."

"Oh well-" the queen turned to him and lightly ran her fingertips across his muscular chest, chuckling at his shocked gasp.

"Who could resist that much temptation."

She turned back to the table, leaving Josef to catch his breath.

---

She was impossible, not in his wildest dreams would he have thought she might get so bold- this was getting harder and harder, his skin was tingling all over and having to be around her all day while she was wearing nothing but that skimpy bikini didn´t make it any easier.

He accepted the glass with juice she was handing him without thinking, earning himself another amused glance from his queen.

"So I´m curious" Josef finally said, "what are you planning to do today, except drinking tea and annoying me?"

"Actually these two options are the most funny things I could think of right now- but you are right, it´s not really enough for a whole day- I think I might ask Giselle to pack some lunch and you can drive me somewhere for a picnic."

"A picnic- you must be joking."

Josef briefly wondered when the tone between them had changed from formal to completely disrespectful, well, it wasn´t as though he had initiated it after all.

"Actually I´m absolutely serious- why, don´t you like picnics?"

"I´d like it if you would stop making my job one hell of complications I couldn´t possible foresee."

She rolled her eyes.

"You are such a bore- fine, we´ll have our picnic on the grounds, just far enough from the house."

"How far exactly is far enough?"

"Far enough so no one can bother us."

"It won´t make a difference, I won´t treat you differently whether someone is watching us or not."

"There´s no harm in dreaming, is there" she replied, a playful smile on her face.

"Anyway, the week´s not over yet."

She didn´t wait for his answer but laid back on her towel and closed her eyes, her body stretched out most provocatively and Josef sighed- this was going to be another long afternoon.

"What´s the attraction?"

He asked, thinking that since he had to stay there anyway he could as well try to understand his predicament.

"The attraction?"

She didn´t open her eyes, her voice relaxed but Josef wasn´t fooled, it would take more than this to catch her off guard.

"Yes- why are you doing this, if you are looking for a lover, why don´t you look somewhere in your own circles?"

"You are as blunt as an axe, aren´t you."

"You aren´t exactly subtlety in person either."

"Touché- I´m not looking for a lover, I´m looking for some fun."

"You mean it´s easier to get rid of someone again if he´s not in your own social circle."

"Obviously- usually I write a brilliant recommendation and advice my maids to pack someone´s bags- it´s never been as complicated as it is this time."

"You picked the wrong man."

"No, I havn´t picked the wrong man- you have picked the wrong attitude."

"I like my job- and I want to keep it."

She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him, her expression calculating.

"And what do you think are your chances on that?"

"You wouldn´t fire me for something I havn´t even done, would you."

"Wouldn´t I?"

"Let me think about it- well, you might fire me for not having done anything."

"Exactly."

"So no matter what I do or not do you will fire me anyway?"

She gave him her best cheshire cat smile.

"If I said yes now, would that lead you to the conclusion that you could as well drop your stupid pride and give in to your basic instincts?"

Josef rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"All right, I can´t win, can I."

"No, obviously not, I´m too good."

She batted her long eyelashes at him and Josef couldn´t help but smile.

"Incorrigible, aren´t you."

"I don´t know, am I? If you put some effort into it you might find out."

"Thank you, I think in this special case I prefer to be left in the dark."

"Josef?"

"Yes?"

"Get me a drink, would you?"


	12. Chapter 12

_Captain Weirdo: Thank you- more of it now :D_

_addlogcon: Not entirely- he admits to himself that he is in serious trouble already but he wants more than she is willing to give or nothing, so actually it will be rather complicated- thanks for reading and reviewing :)_

_bluegirl- 783: Thank you so much :D Well, he´s in trouble because she´s playing with him of course but then she´s beginning to realize that the game isn´t as easy as she had thought it to be, so it´s frustrating for both of them- sorry it took ages to update._

_Clarisse Renaldi: I´m glad you are enjoying it of course- lol, yeah, but then I have written more than half of all DH stories on the web so that´s expected, isn´t it ;) Thanks so much for r&r._

_GraceBe: Hehe, rather with the vampire- Clarisse will have to learn how to act a little less selfish and Josef will have to learn to accept that she can´t just be what he wants to see in her- chapter after this will show that perfectly- ever seen Sunset Boulevard ;) ?_

_ForeverJulie: Good point- no, they are not- but I´ll get to that, thanks for the review! :)_

_lostmyangel: Aw, thank you so much :D Very sweet review! _

_---_

"Back."

"Front."

She crossed her arms and Josef realized that he could go on arguing with her for hours without getting anywhere.

"Fine, whatever you say."

She smiled triumphantly and waited until he had opened the door for her, then she gracefully got into the passenger seat of the car.

"Why are you so determined to sit in the front, I thought you would enjoy the feeling of being driven around" he stated dryly as he started the engine.

"I do, normally but it´s just too far away from you" she teased back, crossing her long legs and Josef found it exceptionally hard to tear his eyes away again.

"Unless you´ll find it too hard to keep your eyes on the road of course" the queen added, her amusement audible in her voice and Josef inwardly cursed himself, how silly, he had seen her in a bikini most of the morning, what was so interesting about half exposed legs now.

"I think I will manage."

They drove in silence for a while, the queen leaning back against the seat and obviously enjoying the sunshine on her face, Josef trying to concentrate on driving.

Finally he stopped next to a group of trees by the lake and got out of the car, then he rounded it to help the queen out.

She stumbled on purpose and Josef caught her in his arms, rolling his eyes but he couldn´t really be mad at her, the way she smiled devilishly up at him was too funny to stay serious.

"You should have been an actress instead of a queen" he told her as he opened the boot to get the picnic basket and a blanket out.

"I know" she sighed while arranging her skirt around herself on the blanket, "unfortunately my parents didn´t ask before they sold me off to the royal family."

"Sold you off?"

Josef asked while uncorking a bottle of perfectly chilled Bordeaux.

"Of course, did you think they did it to do me a big favor? Being the parents-in-law of the king means being invited to everything that happens at the palace, being in the highest social circle in Europe and of course never having to worry again about anything material in their lives."

"That doesn´t sound like a good enough reason to force someone into an arranged marriage" Josef state, handing her a glass of wine and putting the bottle away again.

"I wasn´t forced- not officially."

"That´s what they say I suppose."

He unpacked a baguette, butter and cheese and some fruit, feeling amused when Clarisse simply tore a piece off the baguette and bit into it.

"You really enjoy being free of etiquette for once, aren´t you."

"Hm- immensely.

"Have you ever considered that it might be easier if you simply tried to act as is expected of you?"

He mused, sitting down on the blanket as well and reaching for a piece of cheese.

She looked up, an amused expression on her face.

"You think I would act like this when I´m at home?"

"I know you don´t- what I meant was, have you ever tried to feel content with the way your life is?"

She sighed, then nodded.

"Of course, Josef- I´m not enjoying feeling unhappy, you know."

She actually looked sad and he felt his heart cramp, why did he care so much, for all he knew she was playacting once more.

"Don´t bother" she whispered, "it will be fine in a moment."

Before he could stop himself Josef had reached out and carefully tugged a strand of blond hair behind her ear.

Her cheek was warm and soft, her blue eyes widened in surprise when she felt his hand against her skin and Josef realized that he had actually caught her off guard.

Unable to resist he leaned closer to her and her eyes fluttered shut when he gently pressed his lips to her´s.

The kiss was sweet and innocent, so different from what Josef had expected when he had pondered what might happen if he would give in to her.

She didn´t move, she seemed frozen to the spot and when Josef drew away again she sighed dreamily, a soft smile on her face.

"That was lovely" she whispered, the way she sounded like a Jane Austen character making Josef smile.

"It was" he admitted, then added "but don´t get used to it, Your Majesty."

"You do have a way to ruin perfect moments" she pouted while playfully hitting his shoulder with her fan.

"Ouch" he exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder and the queen chuckled.

"Poor Josef, I hope I didn´t wound you mortally."

"I might just survive."

Josef sank theatrically back onto the blanket, causing Clarisse to laugh even harder.

"You should have been an actor as well."

"A wonderful idea- I might just reconsider."

"Don´t" she said quickly, blushing when Josef looked at her, surprised.

"I mean- I´d like you to stay with me instead" she admitted, sounding uncharacteristically shy.

---

Josef put the picnic basked back into the car and turned towards the blanket again, the queen had fallen asleep some time ago and was looking so enchanting he hadn´t had the heart to wake her up again and instead had sat next to her, watching her sleep.

Now the sun had started to set and it was getting late, they had to get back to be in time for dinner.

Josef bent down and very carefully swept the young woman up into his arms, smiling when she snuggled against his chest without waking up.

He put her into the seat and closed the seat belt around her, then he gently kissed her cheek before closing the door, he folded the blanket and put it into the back seat, then he slid behind the wheel and started the engine.

Clarisse was still asleep when Josef parked the car and he decided not to wake her, she could have dinner later, it was only just after six.

Giselle started at him when he entered the hall with the queen in his arms but Josef ignored her and proceeded to carry his precious burden upstairs and into her bedroom.

He put her down onto the bed and slipped her shoes off her feet, then he pulled the light blanket over her.

"Sweet dreams, Princess" he whispered before tiptoeing across the room and closing the door behind himself.

---

Clarisse´s eyes opened and she looked over at the door, then relaxed back into the pillows, smiling dreamily.

He had kissed her, finally- it hadn´t been the passionate, devastating kiss she had expected and yet it had been so very sweet and romantic- she shook her head, amused at herself, she felt like a young girl again, not like a married mother of two.

She couldn´t quite believe how much she enjoyed Josef´s company, no matter what they did together, even if it was just arguing- and how good it felt when they were getting along, joking and laughing, even teasing each other.

For a moment she wondered if it had ever been like this for her husband, up to now she had been convinced that Rupert´s affairs were similar to her own, distraction from their complicated and stressful lives.

Perhaps it wasn´t that easy, perhaps Rupert had realized a bit earlier than his wife that relations between men and women could be more than a few hours of fun, perhaps she had simply been hopelessly naive.

It wasn´t her fault of course, when she had married Rupert Renaldi she had been so young, she remembered friends her age calling her and telling her excitedly about their first kiss, holding hands in the moonlight and their childish dreams for the future while the young queen had struggled to hold the receiver and balance her crying son on her arm at the same time.

No, she hadn´t had time to try and find out what she wanted out of life, how life could be- she had missed out on all the giddiness and lightheadedness and sleepless nights and now she was about ten years late for butterflies in her stomach and blushing because of a kiss and yet she was enjoying it immensely.

She closed her eyes again, the last rays of sunlight were warming her face, it was wonderfully relaxing and Clarisse could have happily have stayed right there forever, the situation could only have been improved if Josef had been there with her- it would have been enough to just have him there next to her with his arms around her.

She wondered what he was doing right now, if he was thinking about her or rather enjoying the time without her and hoping she wouldn´t wake up again until the next morning- the thought made her heart stop for a moment, what if he regretted the kiss, what if he had just kissed her because he had felt sorry for her and hadn´t really wanted it himself?

How could she find out, she couldn´t simply ask him, asking him would mean admitting that she was worried and her pride wouldn´t permit such weakness.

---

Josef sat down next to the pool, feet dangling in the water as he remembered the afternoon events- she had been so sweet, so sad and he simply hadn´t been able to resist her, if only she could always be like that instead of seeming cold and heartless- on the other had it was better this way, if he had thought for a moment that in fact the queen was this shy, lovely girl she sometimes made out to be he would have hopelessly fallen in love with her...

Josef smiled bitterly, who was he kidding, he already had fallen in love with her, despite her being anything but sweet most of the time.

And he had thought that lust would be a problem, resisting a woman he was lusting after was nothing compared to keeping way from one he was in love with, especially when she was doing her damn best to seduce him whenever she saw the faintest chance that it might work.

He could only hope that she would sleep through dinner time, sitting opposite her and watching her smiling at him might prove to be too much for his own self control.

Josef didn´t know how long he had been sitting there when light footsteps behind him told him that his hopes weren´t about to come true and he looked up resignedly when he felt her fingertips lightly brush over his hair.

"Hello Sleeping Beauty" he teased her as he reached for her hand and pressed a quick kiss onto her smooth skin.

She smelled of roses and Josef briefly inhaled the already familiar scent before realizing that he was playing with fire and letting go of her hand.

"Hello Prince Charming- have you lost your way to my tower?"

"I have been in your tower but I decided to leave you alone there."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"Princes these days- no manors at all, I could have been threatened by a dragon or a witch up there all alone."

"I made sure no dragons or witches would have access to your tower room, Milady" Josef gave back, he couldn´t help but enjoy their little banter, she was quick witted and had a good sense of humor, even though it was hard to detect under her polished and perfect facade.

"Well, you obviously didn´t take proper care of that particular problem, I encountered at least one rather obscure person on my way down here."

"She´s not that bad, she´s just a little-"

"Different? All my maids are, I don´t know what it is with them- at least I don´t have to bring my assistant when I´m on holiday, she is positively annoying, she´s not happy unless she has made sure that I`m locked up in my office all day long."

"You don´t usually listen to her, do you."

"No- why should I, it´s not my job to make her happy after all, rather the other way around."

"Obviously- your husband called earlier by the way."

"He did? How odd- well, I suppose I should call him back then, something might have happened."

"Actually he said he simply wanted to ask how your holiday was going."

The queen looked puzzled for a moment, then she gave him a look of comprehension.

"I see- well, we should have a good look on tomorrow´s papers then."

"Why?"

"Rupert only gets sentimental when he has a really bad conscience, usually it happens when one of his little indiscretions has been noticed and photographed, he knows I don´t like to be humiliated in public."

She looked at her watch, then said "We should go inside, dinner will be ready in ten minutes- would you care to join me for a game of chess afterwards?"

"Is that really a question or a concealed order?"

He got up and held his hand out to her which she took, allowing him to help her up again.

"Of course it´s not an order, Josef, I don´t own you after all- but you wouldn´t say no to such a proposition, would you."

"Throw in some cakes and coffee and you have yourself a deal."

She observed him with her eyebrows raised, obviously torn between amusement and annoyance.

"You´re rather cheeky, good Sir."

"I´m sorry, the time of selfless knights on white steeds is over, now we ride motorcycles and negotiate- shall we?"

She took the arm he was offering her, biting her lip and Josef could tell that it was hard for her not to admit how funny she found his impertinence.


	13. Chapter 13

_Clarisse Renaldi: Lol, yeah, they had to kiss sometime, I admit I left you hanging a little long- but well, I really enjoy this story and I don´t want it to progress too quickly and be finished too soon- isn´t Clarisse Ms. Witty ;) Thank you very much for reading and reviewing!_

_addlogcon: Ohhhh, don´t be too sure, you know how it is, old habits die hard- he will hurt her pride again and she will do her very best to show him that she´s not as vulnerable as he might think- thank you for the review, as always it´s cuddled and pampered :D_

_ForeverJulie: Lol, no, no chance at all- thanks for r&r :)_

_GraceBe: Good- it´s going to be featured in the next part though, I extended this one a little bit- the image of her with her with Pierre while her friends called her to talk about their first experiences with relationships just came to me and I thought it would fit perfectly- thank you for sharing your thoughts with me :D_

_bluegirl-783: Thank you very much- actually you will like this chapter too though it´s not going to end that well- but don´t worry, they´ll stop hurting each other eventually, you know me, my stories never end bad :D_

_The Honourable Takeshismus: Lol, thanks :D More bantering to come now, hope you´ll enjoy it!_

_Captain Weido: Aw, thanks :) Lol, they are the king and queen of bantering... Sure, here´s more now!_

_LadyLuxembourg: Thank you very much- oh, you did? Wow, nice to know that- anyway, I know what you are talking about, I have the same problem with school at the moment- so here´s the next part now and I have half of the one after this finished :D_

---

"Where you serious earlier? About the motorcycle?"

Josef looked up from the chess board and nodded.

"Sure- I love motorcycles, always have, even as a kid."

"You have one?"

"I do- it´s in the palace garages, I take it out on weekends."

She was looking dreamy and Josef wasn´t at all surprised when she said "I wish you would take me with you sometimes."

"I´m afraid that won´t be possible, that would be an absolute security nightmare."

"You would be with me, wouldn´t you."

"I didn´t even mean that, I was talking about my way to drive."

She laughed while at the same time moving her queen and taking Josef´s second knight.

"I should have known- check."

"How did you do that?"

Josef gasped, she had taken him completely off guard and he hadn´t seen that particular move coming at all.

"What? Oh, that- my grandfather taught me that when I was young, we played a lot, he didn´t know what else to do with a little girl."

"Well, doesn´t seem to have done you any harm."

"Not when it comes to beating others, it hasn´t- I´m not really tired yet, would you like some tea or hot chocolate?"

"I´ll have what you have- I´ll start a fire then."

He got up and walked over to the fireplace, taking some wood from a staple in the corner as he went.

The queen opened the library door and called for her maid, then advised her to get two mugs of hot chocolate before closing the door again and addressing Josef.

"Not for warming purposes, I hope."

"No- just for the sake of being romantic" he shot back, amused when she seemed momentarily lost for words.

"Aren´t you a romantic, Your Majesty?"

"Not yet- but maybe you can change my mind" she replied, obviously she had recovered from his jest.

"I suppose it would be less dangerous to put my hand into this fire" Josef joked while adding another log to the small fire he had built.

"I´m not that bad, if I want to I can be a very nice girl."

She had walked over to him and was now sitting on the rug next to him, her eyes sparkling in the fire light.

Josef wondered what to reply but was saved by Giselle who knocked and entered with a tray she put down onto the coffee table.

"Thank you, you can go to bed, I won´t require anything else."

The queen dismissed her maid who curtsied and smiled at Josef, a gesture that didn´t go unnoticed by Clarisse who´s eyes narrowed dangerously.

The door closed and the queen turned back to the fire while Josef fetched the mugs and a plate of biscuits from the table.

"Stop pouting, I´m not interested in her" he said while handing her a mug with hot chocolate.

"I know you aren´t but she´s interested in you- she´s flirting with you, who does she think she is."

"I suppose she does think that we are both employees while you are our boss."

Josef explained dryly before dipping a chocolate biscuit into his drink.

She turned sharply, her eyes narrowing.

"And you? Is that what you think as well?"

"It´s a fact, isn´t it- you are my boss, there´s no way around it."

She was looking at him with a closed expression and Josef wondered what exactly she was thinking but she didn´t keep him in the dark for long.

"It doesn´t usually seem to bother you too much."

Josef shrugged.

"I´ve tried but you won´t have it, so I´ve decided to just go along with it."

"With what, precisely."

"With treating you like an equal- it´s only for three more days after all, then we will go back to Genovia, you will be the queen once more and I will be fired."

He took another biscuit, then looked back up at Clarisse and felt shocked when he noticed tears dwelling in her eyes.

"What have I said wrong now?"

He inquired, he had no idea what to make of her behavior.

"That´s all this is for you?"

She chocked on her tears, sounding so hurt it made Josef want to cry as well.

He reached out and uncertainly touched her arm but she jerked it away and hastily got up, storming out of the library and slamming the door behind her.

Josef stared at the closed door, then decided that he´d better follow her, he needed to know what had caused her reaction even though he had an idea that he didn´t like at all for it would only cause even more trouble for both of them.

---

Clarisse was lying on her bed, sobbing desperately.

She should have known, she had known it, it hadn´t meant anything to him, he was exactly like all the others, he simply had had too much fun playing with her to give in at once.

If she had known how much love could hurt she would never have dared to toy with it and now it was too late- she sobbed, her fingers clutching the silken sheets of her bed, it felt as though her heart was breaking into pieces right inside her chest.

She heard the door open but she didn´t have any energy left to fight, she simply remained where she was and a moment late she felt him sit down next to her and then his warm hand on her shoulder.

"Clarisse?"

He sounded soft, insecure, the sound of her name falling awkwardly from his lips.

She didn´t turn but her sobs grew quieter as Josef kept stroking her shoulder.

"Clarisse, can you please tell me what I did wrong? I´m really at a loss and whatever I did I didn´t do it on purpose, I didn´t want to hurt you."

She slowly turned around to face him, momentarily not caring that her face was tearstained and her hair tousled, what did it matter now, anyway.

He looked into her eyes, searching her and finally she saw his expression shift from confused to resigned.

"Oh God, you love me, don´t you."

Clarisse swallowed the fresh tears that were threatening to fall at any moment, then nodded.

"Yes, I do- I´m sorry, I didn´t- it was meant to be just a game."

She had started to cry again despite herself and Josef leaned back against the headboard, looking down at her as she lay next to him, curled into a ball like a child and sobbing quietly.

"It will never work again, Clarisse" Josef told her, "not now that you know how it can feel- you can´t manipulate feelings like you try to do, you were merely lucky until now."

She wasn´t looking at him and Josef hesitantly extended a hand and brushed her hair out of her face, she flinched at the contact but relaxed again when he continued to caress her cheek.

He pulled her to him, pillowing her face on his chest, his fingers tangling in her blond hair- "Go to sleep" he whispered into her ear.

"Hold me?"

She pleaded quietly, her breathing calmer now as she leaned fully against him, seeking comfort in his embrace.

"I will" he promised before dropping a gentle kiss onto the crown of her head- only minutes later she was fast asleep, curled up against him.

He felt desperately sorry for her and he wished he could have met her earlier, before she had been forced into this life she hated and that had changed her for the worst.

It was too late now, there was no way out for her, she was tied to her husband and her role as queen for the rest of her life.

---

Clarisse had been awake for almost an hour now but she refused to open her eyes, as long as she pretended to be asleep he would continue to hold her and she didn´t want for him to let go, being in his arms was the most wonderful experience she could imagine, she felt complete and happy and so safe.

His fingers were tangled in her hair, playing with the golden curls, he was breathing steadily, obviously determined not to wake her by moving too much and she smiled against his chest, the irony of the situation wasn´t lost on her, she finally had fallen in love and with the one man that had spend a night in her bed without even undressing first.

She finally decided that she couldn´t pretend to be asleep forever and looked up at him.

"Good morning."

He smiled at her, still twirling her hair around his fingers.

"Good morning- are you feeling better?"

"Yes- thank you."

"Anytime."

They simply looked at each other, both not willing to break this strange new connection yet, even though neither of them really knew what to make of it.

Finally Clarisse couldn´t bear it any longer, she needed to know what he was thinking, she had made herself vulnerable and she was starting to wonder if it had been a wise decision after all.

"Josef, I´m feeling a bit self conscious right now- aren´t you going to say anything at all?"

He pulled away from her and they both sat up, Josef leaning back against the headboard, the queen at first remaining in the middle of the bed, trying her very best to keep her breathing steady and relax but when the man in front of her didn´t speak and simply looked at her she gave up on pretending to be calm and got up from the bed.

"Damn it, Josef, talk to me- I told you that I love you and you didn´t even reply!"

She felt fresh tears sting in her eyes and she hated herself for being so weak.

Josef sighed, briefly closing his eyes, then he sat up straighter on the bed.

"What do you expect me to say? You have been playing games with me all week long, it´s hard to trust you and even if I would trust you, what good would it do me, there´s no future in this whatsoever."

The queen gasped indignantly, then swiftly walked over to the door and pulled it open.

"Fine, we´ll talk later then- I´ll await you downstairs in half an hour to go to Paris."

He got up from the bed, looking puzzled and stopped in front of her while she was still holding the door.

"I´m right, am I not? Even if I would tell you that I- I mean what exactly could come of it, you are married, you have children-"

"Josef, I really need to get dressed, would you mind leaving me alone?"

She needed to get rid of him, she was far too agitated to talk sensibly right now, all she would do was starting to fight with him and that wasn´t what she wanted, he had hurt her and even though she knew that it had partly been her fault she couldn´t bring herself to beg for forgiveness.

His eyes narrowed but he nodded, then inclined his head.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

She looked after him as he walked down the corridor before closing the door and leaned against it.

"Damned" she swore under her breath, then she resolutely brushed her hair out of her forehead.

She would shower and get dressed and then she would prove to Josef that even though she had shown him her soft side she still could present a challenge to him.

---


	14. Chapter 14

_Clarisse Renaldi: Aw, thank you, that´s a beautiful review- 3 Well, he starts to understand how her mind works but it´ll be some more time until he have figured it out completely ;) Here´s the next part now, hope you´ll enjoy it, too!_

_marjorienescio: I know what you mean, it sounds like a really stupid idea but it wasn´t to be about that, it was about showing how alone and misunderstood Clarisse feels and what it makes of her- I was a little bored with love at first sight stories, to be honest. _

_Anyway, so I´m glad it turned out to your liking after all and thank you very much for the review! :)_

_addlogcon: No, it´s not a wise thing to do, especially when it fact you do love them as well, it might have been your last chance- but he doesn´t really trust her yet and besides he doesn´t see how anything could come of it, so he may be forgiven- for now... Thanks for reading and reviewing :D_

_ForeverJulie: Oh, she does, don´t worry- feel bad for Joe instead ;) Naw, they´ll stop hurting each other- sometime- thank you for r&r. :)_

_bluegirl- 783: Hey :D Well, they both are a bit stubborn but they´ll work it out- eventually- hope you´ll like the next part as well!_

_The Honourable Takeshismus: Yes, :P if she hadn´t I might, too- but well, she has... Sorry it took so long, school, just like always._

_Captain Weirdo: Oh, thank you :D It took a few chapters but if I have managed in the end it was worth it!_

_So, here´s the next part, it´s inspired by the song `The lady´s paying` from Sunset Boulevard. _

---

"What exactly are we doing in here?"

Josef almost didn´t dare to ask the question, especially since the queen was smiling again in that special way he had learned to associate with trouble.

"We´re buying some new things for you."

"We- what?"

She nodded imperiously at the tailor who began to measure Josef while Clarisse Renaldi gracefully settled herself into a chair.

"You know, just a few shirts and trousers, a new suit- I can´t take you anywhere dressed like this."

"I thought we only go to the opera tonight."

"Oh, my plans changed, we´ll stay a day longer and go there tomorrow, I don´t feel like it right now."

"When were you going to inform me about that?"

She innocently looked up at him.

"Inform you? Why, is that a problem?"

Josef clenched his teeth.

"You know all too well that this is indeed a problem."

"Well, I´ll remember next time" she replied cheerfully, then added "but now back to your less than satisfying wardrobe."

She looked him upside down and Josef felt himself flare up.

He waited until the tailor had bustled off to get some samples before replying "you can´t just drag me in here and- I´ve told you repeatedly, I´m not your toy."

"Oh, you didn´t- you told me I was treating you like a toy- I´m simply living up to that, when I was a little girl dress-up dolls were my favorite by far."

She smiled brightly at him, her blue eyes twinkling amusedly as she watched him swell with anger.

"I don´t believe you" Josef growled but the queen only laughed.

"Be a good boy and behave- you don´t want to embarrass me, do you."

"It´s getting more and more tempting to do just that."

"But Josef, you can´t deny that a few additions couldn´t hurt- all this depressing black, always the same cut..."

"I happen to like my clothes."

"That´s because you have no taste- by the way, I thought we had a compromise."

Now she really had managed to confuse him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know, you were going to wear something different and I was going to get something in black."

"That wasn´t a compromise, that was another of your most stupid ideas."

"Manors, Sir- my ideas are never- what word is that, you should work on your vocabulary."

"I have other problems right now- the biggest of them is blond and blue eyed."

She chuckled, leaning back in her chair.

"It´s not very nice to tell a lady that she is the biggest of anything, you know."

Josef rolled his eyes but couldn´t say anything because the tailor was back, this time with two assistants in tow, each carrying a whole pile of clothes.

If he hadn´t had sworn to himself that he wouldn´t let her get to him he would simply have walked out on her straight away without caring how she would leave without security again.

But unfortunately his damn pride was getting in the way, it would be too humiliating to admit that this little horror had gotten the better of him.

"Your Majesty?"

She turned to the tailor and smiled her most charming smile.

"This is just wonderful- we´ll take two in this color and then two in white and blue."

Josef bit his lip, this was unbelievable, she was buying him shirts in blue, white and purple, grand, just grand.

He briefly protested when she insisted on a white suit but of course she simply ignored him and advised the shop owner to pack the suit along with the shirts, a couple of elegant yet completely unpractical trousers and jackets, three colorful cashmere sweaters, two pair of shoes in black and brown and a whole selection of ties Josef wouldn´t be caught wearing whatever she said.

The shop owner personally loaded their purchases into the car, bowing repeatedly to Clarisse and winking at Josef, he obviously thought what everyone would think when a woman bought a man a whole collection of clothes and Josef did his best to simply ignore him.

"Now wasn´t that fun?"

The queen sighed, sinking back into the soft leather of her limousine.

"Yeah, tremendously so."

Josef replied gloomily, he still couldn´t believe what just had happened to him.

"I hope you have booked an additional room for all this crap" he added acidly but she simply laughed.

"Don´t worry, the suite is big enough for a couple of bags."

They arrived at their hotel a few minutes later and Josef ushered Clarisse through the lobby as quickly as possible, all he needed now was for someone to recognize her, he had had enough entertainment for one morning already.

---

Josef had just finished his shower when there was a rather persistent knock on the door that connected his room to the queen´s.

He knotted the sash on his bath robe, then prayed that he wouldn´t say or do anything stupid before opening the door.

The queen was wearing a pale blue summer dress and heels and smiled teasingly at him when she noticed his state of dress or rather the lack of it.

"Darn, I should have knocked earlier."

Josef rolled his eyes.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes- you could dress in one of those adorable shirts we bought earlier, preferably one of the purple ones."

"What for?"

He was dreading the answer, he was certain he wouldn´t like it much.

"We´re going out" she stated, shrugging as though it wasn´t anything out of the ordinary.

"We- come on now, you can´t be serious."

"Why not? We are in Paris, town of love and nightlife- hurry up, I want to have dinner first."

Josef firmly took her arm and pulled her inside his room, then he closed the connecting door before marching Clarisse over to his bed and making her sit down.

"Now listen to me- I´m your bodyguard, not a clown- I won´t allow you out of this hotel to go anywhere where it is packed with other people because I can´t do anything to secure your safety all by myself and that´s final."

She had been listening with an expression of mild curiosity, now she was smiling in that mischief way that annoyed and intrigued Josef at the same time.

"Wonderful speech, Josef, you should consider looking into politics- unfortunately our interests seem to be clashing rather violently and I believe that even though you might be my bodyguard it´s still more important what I want than what you want and I want to go out- so stop talking and get dressed."

She got up from the bed without waiting for his reply but Josef wasn´t about to give in so quickly.

He caught her arm before she could walk away from him and unceremoniously pulled her back down onto the bed.

She tried to pull away but he wouldn´t let her and her face flushed with anger.

"Let go of me, right now!"

"I won´t and don´t even think about pulling ranks on me, you are perfectly fine with fooling around with me when you´re in the mood for it- why are you so determined to endanger yourself, is this still about last night?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about" she hissed, still struggling against his grip.

"Oh you do- perhaps this is a good time to discuss it, it´s not as if we were going anywhere this evening."

"We will, I want to go, damn it, Josef, you can´t force me to stay here, I´m not a child!"

"You´re doing your damn best to make it look like you were- now stop struggling, you won´t get anywhere with it."

She accepted the truth behind his words and relaxed and Josef let go of her, trying to ignore her murderous look.

"Good- now if you so desperately want to dance or drink or whatever, this hotel has one of the finest bars in town.

"I´m aware of that- and anyone will recognize me and stare all night long, no, thank you- I want to go somewhere where no one will look at me twice."

"Then perhaps you should get yourself a desert island- you are a queen, Clarisse, there´s no way you can go anywhere without someone recognizing you."

She didn´t protest and Josef realized that she knew that as well as he did, she simply wanted to pretend for a while.

"I´m sorry" he offered while Clarisse looked defeated.

"Don´t be, it´s not your fault after all."

Her voice was quiet, sad and Josef cast around for something to say that would make her feel better, despite the fact that she had been annoying him all day and on purpose she still was sweet and lovely and alluring and he wanted nothing more than to give her anything she wanted.

"Why don´t we just stay here, we can order room service and there´s more than enough room for dancing if you want to."

He gestured around the more than spacious room as the queen´s eyes widened in surprise.

"You want to dance? Here?"

"If it makes you happy, why not."

She just looked at him for a long moment, then a beautiful smile spread over her face.

"It´s a date then- I still insist on you wearing the purple shirt though."

"All right, purple it is then- I´ll order dinner for you, what do you want?"

"You choose- I´ll be back in a moment, I have to change into something else."

"Don´t- you are looking perfect as you are" Josef told her and this time there was no trace of playfulness left in his voice.

"But- it´s just a simple dress, nothing special" she protested weakly, never breaking eye contact with him as though hypnotized by his gaze.

"It´s just right for you, you don´t need anything special, your own beauty is special enough."

Tears dwelled in her big blue eyes as she cast around for something to say but Josef put his finger to her lips to silence her.

"Don´t, it´s not necessary, just remember it."

He turned away from her to give her a moment to regain her composure and picked up the phone to call room service.


	15. Chapter 15

Clarisse put her head onto Josef´s shoulder and closed her eyes, relaxing into his arms as they swayed to the soft music filling the candle lit room.

Josef had made good on his promise and asked her to dance right after dinner, making her laugh as he led her around the room, trying to avoid the furniture, now that the music had changed to a slower tune and he was holding her close to him so tenderly he was almost making her cry.

Clarisse felt Josef´s arms tighten around her, it was a possessive gesture and if it had been anyone else she would have hated it, with Josef it made her feel safe and loved and she snuggled closer to him, smiling against his chest when she felt his lips brush against her temple.

"It seems to be true what they say about Paris being the city of love" he whispered, making her look up at him in surprise.

"What makes you say that?"

The room was bathed in moonlight and she could make out the warm smile on his face as he replied "You told me you love me and I find myself in the need to tell you that I do love you too, however much I wish it wasn´t so."

His lips were warm on her´s, gentle, he was kissing her without any pressure and yet it was the most passionate, consuming kiss Clarisse had ever experienced in her life.

She responded instantly, kissing him back with the same intensity while pressing herself closer to his chest.

"Clarisse-" he whispered against her lips and she looked up into his eyes, feeling his racing heartbeat against her chest.

"Tell me this ins´t just a game."

She should have felt triumph now, she had him exactly where she had wanted him and yet there was no trace of satisfaction about this, instead she felt spellbound by the desperation in his eyes, the intensity in his voice, the possessiveness of his hold on her.

"It is not- I love you, Josef."

His lips met her´s again, the sweetness torturing her soul, what agony was this, she had had no idea but she was learning quickly as she surrendered to his passion, giving herself up to someone for the first time and it felt glorious.

He picked her up and carried her over to the bed, laying her down so carefully it brought tears to her eyes.

Stretching out next to her he pulled her close to him, his lips brushing against her temple as he whispered "I want to show you what it means to make love- what you have done up to now wasn´t the same."

She didn´t reply, she was believing him, up to now sexual relationships had been about playing the game of seduction and getting satisfaction out of it, with Josef it wouldn´t be like that, it would be about expressing their feelings for each other in a physical way, to be close to each other, to give rather than to take.

His fingertips were lightly stroking her cheek while his lips covered her´s, he took his time kissing her and Clarisse relaxed into the sensation, her arms wrapping around his shoulders to pull him closer to her.

His weight settled comfortably on her body and she sighed contentedly, she had craved this moment so much, it seemed like a life time ago when she had first realized that her interest in Josef wasn´t a purely physical one.

He undressed her slowly, taking his time to kiss her exposed skin, all the while whispering to her how beautiful and desirable she was and how much he wanted her, that he loved her and he would do whatever he could to make her happy.

She listened to the sweet words, half disbelieving that she was falling for them, how could he mean all this, she had heard it all before and it had been nothing but lies- and yet she couldn´t help but trust him, open up to him and for the first time she gave not only her body but also her soul.

---

Their love making was bitter sweet, both of them knowing that there was no chance for them to declare their love openly with her being married to the king and mother of his heirs, he being nothing but a servant in the world´s eye.

When it was over Clarisse started to cry, helplessly and desperately and Josef wrapped her into his arms, caressing her and whispering soothingly to her but he couldn´t think of anything that would truly comfort her, their love wasn´t allowed to be, however much they both wanted it.

The queen fell asleep, exhausted and despaired and Josef gently wiped the tears away from her cheeks before kissing her forehead and cradling her to him once more.

They would have to talk about this in the morning, even though it wouldn´t do much good, there was no solution to their special problem and they both knew it.

He watched the woman in his arms sleep, she looked young and fragile and sweet and Josef´s lips curved into a small smile when he thought how different she was from the imagine she presented at the moment.

He settled his head on the pillow and pulled the sheets a little higher around them, he needed to sleep, even if he would have preferred to just look at Clarisse for the rest of the night.

---


End file.
